How Publishing Legend Charles Scribner III Writes

Publishing legend, art historian, and author, Charles Scribner III, spoke with me about growing up surrounded by publishing, Hemingway’s Three Rules to Life, and his memoir/family history SCRIBNERS: FIVE GENERATIONS IN PUBLISHING.

Charles Scribner III is an art historian, author, editor, and lecturer, who received his BA, MFA, and PhD from Princeton University in art and archaeology. 

He worked in publishing for nearly thirty years and is a prominent authority on Caravaggio, Bernini, Rubens, and other artists. He has written biographies on Rubens and Bernini; articles for Vanity Fair, Art & Antiques, among other publications; and has lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, the Smithsonian, Christie’s, and various universities. 

His forthcoming family history, Scribners: Five Generations in Publishing, is about the inside story of 5 generations – over 150 years – at the legendary publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons.

“The author, the fifth of the Charleses to work at that house of celebrated authors, provides … an inside view – ‘between the covers’ of illustrious and notorious books – of the family members, editors, and authors of this colorful literary history.”

Kirkus Reviews called it "A charming memoir of a life in books," and Publishers Weekly called it “... a lively and refreshing must-read for those interested in the history of book publishing.”

Charles remained at Scribners through three changes in ownership (Macmillan, Maxwell, and Viacom), overseeing the publication of its literary classics. He was also a commentator for TV documentaries on Edith Wharton (BBC/PBS), Fitzgerald and Hemingway (A&E Biography).

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In this file, Charles Scribner III and I discussed: 

• How manuscripts and galleys symbolized the world he grew up in 
• Why he chose now to share the stories of the literary lions his father worked with
• Some of the greatest editors of the 20th Century
• How to write a book in two months
• Why loyalty is the most important thing in publishing
• The secret behind Hemingway’s will
• And a lot more!

Show Notes:

• charlesscribner.com
• Scribners: Five Generations in Publishing by Charles Scribner III (Amazon)
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

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